


crafts and resolutions

by marina_rocher



Category: Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-11
Updated: 2018-02-11
Packaged: 2019-03-16 22:18:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,130
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13645560
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/marina_rocher/pseuds/marina_rocher
Summary: Starting from 2018, they have a new rule. It's January 3rd and Phil is on the verge of breaking it.





	crafts and resolutions

Starting from 2018, they have a new rule. It's January 3rd and Phil is on the verge of breaking it.

"I'll just go check if my phone's charging."

Dan grabs him by the hand.

"No! Come on, Phil, sit and read your book."

You can't fool this man.

This year they've decided to make the bedroom a technology-free zone. Well, Dan did, but Phil didn’t mind. On January 1st, he watched Dan collect all their laptops, smartphones, the Switch and bring them to the living room overnight.

Dan loves reading all these self-improvement and self-care blogs, watches all the YouTube videos about the importance of mindfulness and appreciating the real life instead of the digital one.

It's just an experiment, they've decided. And it's just their third day. But every time Phil reaches for his bedside table to make a quick note or google search something he feels annoyed remembering his phone isn’t there.

"We should learn to rely on our brains more!" Dan says handing him a pencil and a small notebook with Captain America on the cover. Phil really needs to remind himself how to divide numbers on paper.

Dan seems okay though. He has a pile of books he never got around to finishing or even starting, some graphic novels, and he keeps a physical journal now - a simple Moleskine he writes in every morning.

The first night was okay. They played a board game in bed until Phil got too tired and fell asleep listening to Dan reading him a book out loud. "It's like a podcast," Phil mumbled through the sleep and Dan chuckled. "It's like a bedside story, you tech addict." The morning wasn't that bad either. As soon as he woke up and realized that his phone was in another room, he woke Dan up with biting kisses and they handled the boredom in a different way.

"You can go use in the living room," says Dan without moving his gaze from the book when Phil uncomfortably shuffles in one place.

Technically, Phil could. This rule only applies to the bedroom, plus he could always sleep in his filming room if he wanted to watch Friends late in the night. But... It's cozy and warm here with Dan, the light is soft and perfect, and the sound of rustling pages makes him ache for this type of domesticity. He just wishes he had something to distract himself with.

Dan sighs, finally giving up to Phil's visible frustrations and puts his book away. His warm hands cover Phil's naked shoulders.

"Okay, baby, let's distract you."

***

Phil frowns studying the label on the package.

"Dan, did you order anything from HobbyCraft?"

Dan straightens his back from loading up the dishes and looks puzzled for a moment. When Phil shows him the box that just came in the mail, a broad smile brightens his face.

"Yup, that's for you."

Phil places the package on the kitchen aisle when Dan continues cleaning up after dinner.

"Is it for a video or something?"

Dan's mischievous dimple always gives away his amusement.

"No, it's for the evenings. To keep your hands busy."

***

The panda on a cross-stitch kit munches on some bamboo. It's a very simple design but it takes Phil fifteen minutes to decide which part of the fabric he should start with. The instructions say that you should carefully measure the space from the borders to make sure the final image will be in the center of the fabric piece. Then, they can frame it.

The needle is blunt and impossible to hurt yourself with, and Phil pushes his glasses up his nose when threading the needle.

"You need help?" Dan watches him and Phil realizes he's been holding his breath for a while now. "Just lick the end. I saw my mom do it."

It's definitely easier this way.

***

The panda takes him three evenings to finish. He can't learn how to secure the end of the thread from the internet so he improvises. The pattern doesn't look complicated but he still manages to miss a couple of rows and a few columns. Thankfully, it doesn't affect the final image at all. He proudly shows it to Dan, making sure to hide the ugly underside, but Dan is so excited and praising and wonderful about it. He fetches the closest picture frame, tosses the photo away and tries to place Phil's cross-stitched picture inside.

"I don't think that's how it's supposed to go."

They are set to figure it out.

***

Phil googles the answers to all the questions when he's finally allowed to use the Internet. Few minutes of search and an idea comes to his mind. He googles it and finds out that yes, there are his and Dan's designs online. He saves the pictures without any specific thought in mind.

Dan's mom sends him the links to some of her favorite cross-stitching websites with patterns and tips and videos to help. In a span of two weeks, Phil learns how to make the underside look neat and tests this new technique on other kits Dan orders for him. There are birds, and flowers, Big Ben, and a cheesy quote about the value of the home that he finishes in four hours.

"Wow, you're getting good at this!"

Phil doesn't try to hide his joy. They bring the panda to the framing shop and hang it in the living room when it’s ready and beautiful behind the glass. Dan jokes about having to clear the space for Phil’s creations soon. Phil knows it won't last long, this newly found interest, but he enjoys it while it lasts. He loves sitting in bed under the blanket and following the patterns, loves looking over at Dan and meeting his eyes. Loves picking up his needle in the middle of the day when they're watching TV or waiting for their Uber.

***

"Hey, there's a website where you can make a pattern out of any picture." Dan uploads a bunch of pics they took in Japan and Singapore, and Phil chooses one, then orders all colours of threads online. It's a picture of a Japanese street they didn't get around to posting. Nice pastel tones, a road sign looking completely in place with all the surroundings. Phil's fingers are itching to start a bigger piece, a personal one this time.

Dan glides his hand over the fabric, feels each individual stitch and the whole picture at the same time.

"I'm kinda over it now," Phil says.

"Hm?"

"I feel like this is my final masterpiece."

Dan puts the work away and tugs Phil to lie down with him.

"Okay. Want me to buy you some colored clay to make figurines?”

This is so ridiculous yet utterly heart-warming.

“Yes, please.”

**Author's Note:**

> come say hi to me on tumblr @muchdan!


End file.
